NELSON SILVERIO: Welcome 2008 Mayakoba Golf Classic Champion Brian Gay. Brian, first of all congratulations. You moved into the top 20 in the FedExCup race now. You're a first-time PGA TOUR winner. Why don't you just tell us what's going through your mind right now.
BRIAN GAY: Well, just relief right now. It seemed like a long day out there. Even though I had a big lead it, was tough just trying to not make mistakes, you know, just trying to make pars and get the ball in the center of the green.
Q. Can you talk about your mind-set yesterday? You said you didn't want yesterday's round to end, that aggressive approach; but you seemed conservative early on today.
BRIAN GAY: Yeah, it was a lot different when I woke up today than when I finished yesterday. So like I said, I was just trying to play smart and not make any mistakes and give any strokes back; let somebody earn it.
Steve was playing good. Didn't ever make any bogeys, but didn't get too, too close.
Q. Did you feel you pretty much sealed it with that putt on 16?
BRIAN GAY: Yeah, that was a huge putt. I had a couple of huge putts there on the back, because Steve was really playing good on the back. Gosh, what was the big putt -- the birdie putt on 11 was huge after he made birdie. And the birdie putt on the par 5, he had a good chance for eagle there, and I laid up and made birdie there, that was big.
Q. What about the fourth hole?
BRIAN GAY: Yeah, I hit a bad drive. I pulled my drive to the left, and I guess it must have hit a tree and kicked over there left of the cart path. I just had a bunch of sticks and stuff around the ball. I think I just caught a stick between the club and the ball and it kind of shot out to the right.
I was fortunate to get out of there with a five.
Q. After the fourth hole, did you get nervous? Did you feel you were losing the lead, or how was your mind-set after playing that hole?
BRIAN GAY: You know, the next hole was very important. It was a tough tee shot on 5. You have a hazard on both sides and I stepped up there and hit a great drive and a great 6-iron right in there pin-high, so it was nice to come back after making bogey with two really good swings.
Q. Do you like this course?
BRIAN GAY: Oh, I love it, it's my favorite, Mayakoba.
Q. Had you been here before?
BRIAN GAY: No, never. It's been a great week. My wife's been saying all week she wants to come back in a couple of months to relax.
Q. Other than the fourth hole, it seems like you played pretty consistently. Would you agree with that statement, and can you just talk about your mind-set after that hole?
BRIAN GAY: Yeah, after that, like I said, just kind of one errant tee ball and I kind of kept driving it good and hitting good iron shots. I had a good chance on 5 and 6 and was able to hit it close on 7 and made a nice, long putt on 8.
Kind of slowed down a little bit, hit the hole with my wedge on 9, maybe a little bit unlucky there and missed the putt and 3-putted 10. So it was a little bit up-and-down.
Then I bounced back at 11, so it was a little shaky at times.
Q. You probably never thought it was going to take you 293 starts to get your first win. Can you just talk about, I think the first words you said were you're relieved.
BRIAN GAY: Yeah, it's been a long time. Obviously a lot of hard work. It took me longer to get out on the TOUR after college than I thought. Even though I was doing really well on the mini-tours and had my chances through the years and wasn't able to get it done. So this is really a big, big relief to finally do it.
Q. Can you talk about 16 and 17?
BRIAN GAY: Yeah, looking back, 16 is such a hard hole. That pin is like not even on the green, it is so far back there to the right and you can't hit too much club off the tee because then you're standing back there 230 yards and you just can't get anywhere near the flag.
Once I got to 17, I got it in the fairway off 17, I pretty well thought I had it. I was definitely too conservative with that sand wedge to the right of the pin there, even though I was still only 20 feet. That putt was so fast, I was trying to lag it, and it went six or seven feet by, so that was a pretty bad hiccup at the time. Luckily I had some room to spare.
Q. How old are you and how old are your daughters?
BRIAN GAY: I'm 36. My oldest daughter, Makinley is 8, and the youngest is Brantley, she's 4.
Q. When you look back at this tournament, what are you going to remember most, probably the birdie stretch to close yesterday?
BRIAN GAY: Yeah, obviously the third round would be the round to stand out. Although Friday was pretty good, as windy as it was, it was really solid all week. I putted great and I did have some 3-putts, which is a little bit unusual for me, but I putted pretty well all week, and I would say definitely the finish on Saturday is what set it all up.
Q. At what point did you realize you were going to be the champion?
BRIAN GAY: I guess I realized when I hit it -- I thought when I hit it on the 17th green -- (laughter) -- you don't think so? What do you think?
I figured once I hit it on the green, even if I made bogey, which I did, I still had a three-shot lead going into 18, but would have been better to have four.
Q. Remind you of what happened last year the last three rounds?
BRIAN GAY: Yeah, last year I got off to a great start here, I think I shot 5-, or 6-under the first round, I don't remember, but it was a good score. Shot a high round on Sunday when it got real windy and this year I was able to handle the winds on Friday.
Q. Is there any point today that you doubted your game and maybe your confidence is a little shaken?
BRIAN GAY: Certainly there have been flows and up-and-downs and I knew I was confident and playing well. I had to just keep going a shot at a time and pick my targets and make good swings.
Q. After playing four rounds on this golf course, what would be your tip to anyone that wants to play Mayakoba? What would you tell any player that wants to play a round here?
BRIAN GAY: You want to hit it in the fairways so you don't lose all your balls. (Laughter).
Q. What tips would you give for young golfers coming up?
BRIAN GAY: Young golfers, swing hard, because you've got to hit it far now -- no, short game. Work on your short game, do lots of chipping and putting. I don't hit it far, but if you can make putts, you can always be in the game. Short game is very important.
Q. The weather today was a lot like yesterday, but the scores were nothing like yesterday. Were you peeking at the board to make sure nobody was surging, or did you even expect because of the weather that somebody would throw a low 60s up there?
BRIAN GAY: Yeah, after yesterday, I definitely expected somebody in the 8- , 9-under range to go out and shoot a 6-, 7-, 8-under par maybe.
I caught a glimpse of the board on 7. I saw Kresge was off to a good start, and other than that, I guess I didn't really see his name again. I guess I thought it was pretty much me and Steve.
But you know, Sunday is a little different than Saturday when they start handing out the checks. Pins are probably tougher, you know, today.
Q. How did it feel to have your family here and have their support during your week here?
BRIAN GAY: Yeah, my family gave me wonderful support. They travel with me probably 3/4ths of the time, so it's nice to have them out with me.
Q. This week, and actually in the last several tournaments, what aspect of your game do you have the most confidence in now after having a stretch of coming close?
BRIAN GAY: You know, I don't think any one particular thing stood out this week. I drove it pretty good. I've hit my irons pretty good and I putted pretty well. I don't necessarily think that one thing really stood out. I haven't really looked at any statistics for the week but it's just solid all around.
Congratulations to Brian and Lynn. I get a feeling somewhere Homer K is smiling...........
Right you are, UPP.
And after that smile, I think Homer Kelley would assume the reflective pose evident in this never-before-seen photo. Here, my camera captured the genius behind all this sitting at his studio desk. It was at this desk he pecked out on his ancient typewriter the text of the The Golfing Machine.
In tribute to my teacher . . .
Homer Kelley.
And what would he be thinking?
"I am proud of my students . . . and their students. The information is correct. We should have many champions."
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